President Mills commiserates with Sunday's flood victims

Agona Swedru (C/R), June 23, GNA - President John Atta Mills on Tuesday toured some affected areas of last Sunday's floods in parts of the Greater Accra and Central Regions and commiserated with the victims.

He visited the banks of the Chemu Lagoon, Community Five Railway Quarters, Ashaiman Roman Catholic Church premises in Accra and Agona Swed ru and Awombrew in the Central Region.

Accompanied by the some Ministers of State and the National Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation, Mr Kofi Portuphy President Mills gave the assurance that Government would act wit h despatch in finding solution to the disaster that has claimed close to 40

lives in the affected areas and also repair bridges damaged.

At Chemu Lagoon in Tema, the flood waters, which Waters Resources, Works and Housing Minister Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin said, had com e from as far as Aburi in the Eastern Region increased the volume of the hitherto almost empty lagoon, with the waters overflowing its banks. The situation has severed some habitable areas of Sakumono areas with a number of displaced persons being ferried by boats. During the tour Mr Babgin said the debris that had accumulated in the

lagoon needed to be removed before the waters could come down, adding tha t the maintenance of the Ramseyer Site, a UN designated wetland area nearby

constitute a challenge. President Mills observed that the floods had brought to the fore the need to look at the problem in a holistic manner in the tackling of areas

affected by floods. He called for a halt in the delay in the granting of building permits

which had made frustrated people put up buildings on water-ways and disasters. At the Community Five Railway Quarters, the water had gathered under

buildings forcing residents to stay out with their belongings displayed i n the open.

President Mills extended sympathy to the people, and emphasised that it was always necessary to put up buildings only in the areas that were not prone to floods He called on the people to be patient and observe building regulatio ns. The next point of call was the premises of the Ashaiman Roman Cathol ic, where the President expressed his condolences to people who lost family members as a result of the floods.

Twelve people, including three siblings were said to have lost their

lives. Mr Portuphy told the President that 15 communities have been affecte d in the area. He said about 870 families have been affected in the last Sunday's floods, 250 displaced at Community Five and 950 at the Naval Base Area. He said the situation was compounded by the destruction of dams at Ashalley Botwey and Nungua, which also devastated the dam at Katamanso thereby increasing the flood waters at Ashaiman. Mr Portuphy said but for the houses in water ways that had been pull ed down the flood would have been more disastrous. President Mills later moved to Agona Swedru, where about 100 metres of earth on the main Agona Swedru Texaco Road has been washed and taken over by the flooded Ayensu River. The bridge and the by pass has been destroyed whilst a number of liv es have also been lost. Mr Joe Gidisu, Minister of Roads and Highways announced that repair works on the bridge would begin soon. The President later called on the Nana Botwe, Omanhene of the Agona Swedru Traditional Area, and also interacted and empathised with the Chie f of Awombrew, Nana John Annan and the people who were affected by the floo ds.